PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – On this week’s Sunday Sitdown, Dana Brown from the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Virginia stopped by to talk about their upcoming and highly anticipated event.

The 2023 Hampton Roads UNCF Mayors’ Masked Ball is set to take place on Mar. 11 at the Renaissance Portsmouth-Norfolk Waterfront Hotel. The UNCF Mayors’ Masked Ball is one of the organization’s signature fundraising galas and focuses on raising awareness and donations to support deserving students through UNCF.

“Here at UNCF, we provide scholarships to students in the area to help them get to and through college. So our event, the UNCF Mayors’ Masked Ball, is going to raise funds for those students at our 37 member institutions,” Brown says.

Brown says this year’s event is the biggest UNCF has ever put together, with around 650 guests set to attend.

The black-tie event will begin with a masquerade reception that will have red carpet photos, live entertainment, and a silent auction. The ball will then continue with an elegant seated dinner and the presentation of the 2023 UNCF M.A.S.K.E.D. Awards, which are given to outstanding members of the community who support UNCF and other communities in the area

The 2022 Hampton Roads Mayors’ Masked Ball raised over $323,000 and enabled UNCF Virginia to provide 500 students with more than $1.7 M in scholarships in the 2021-2022 academic year.

For students who would like to learn more about UNCF Virginia and the scholarships that are offered, visit the UNCF Virginia website.